Rail-chair.



W. M. OSBORN.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLIOAT'ION FILED DEO.16, 1912.

1,077,367, Patented N014, 1913.

VJARREN 1a. ossonn, or new BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

RAiL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed December 16, 1912. Serial lilo. 737,037.

To (ZZZ whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, \VARREN W. OSBORN,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county-of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful, Improvement .in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a chair for railroad rails which is constructed to act as a tie-plate, rail brace, and rail fastener.

The object of the invention is to provide means which can be applied with equal facility to wooden ties, concrete ties, or metal ties for supporting, "bracing, and holding track rails. which means are cheap to make, are simple to use. will strengthen the rails and keep them from spreading, creeping, and turning over, and can be quickly nianipulated for securely fastening the rails with the gage exact either on straight stretches oi tr: '1 joints or between. In attaining this object a simple metaliic chair, which is adapted to he set into or fastened upon a wooden, concrete or metal tie, is formed with a bottom which acts as a tie-plate and: with side walls that extend obliquely toward" each other across the tie and incline inwardly from the bot-toni up so as to provide tapering spaces on each side of the rail for receiving wedges which when driven into the chair between the oblique and inclined side walls and the base, web and ball of the rail, lock the rail in exact position in the chair, the wedges beingrctained in the chair against outward movement by simple means.

Figure l of the accompanying drawing shows a plan of two short lengths o1 rail held by means which embody this invention to tour cross ties. the first tie being represented as wooden, the two intermediate ties being represented as made of concrete, and

the last tie as being of steel. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the rail sections and the tics which are shown in Fig. l. Fig; 3 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3--3 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 4-4 on Fig: 1. Fig. 5 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 5-5 on Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 6 on Fig. 1. Fig. 7 shows a. plan on i'ir rerscale of a rail-c" air which embodies tiis invention.- Fig. 8 is a view looking atthe large end of the chair. F ig. 9-shows a r or on curves and at rail view looking at the small end of the chair. Fig. 10 shows a plan of one of the wedges used with this chair. Fig. 11 is a view looking at the large end of the wedges. and

.Fig. 12 a viewlooking atthe small end of the wedges.

The chair which may be made of cast or pressed steel has a bottom 1 which acts asa tie-plate and as the immediate supportof the base of the rail. This bottom. plate is wider at one end than the other and the tapering edges are turned up and inv so. as to form .firm side walls- 2 that extend obliquely with relation to the axis of the chair and that incline toward each other from the bottom up. The space between these walls is, of course, w-ider at one end.- of the chair than at the other and is wider at the bottom than at the top. This chair may be let into a tapering dovetail opening in the top of a'wooden tic 3, or into a similarly shaped opening in a concrete tie t. If the chair is let into a concrete tie it may have a wooden cushioning block 5 placed beneath it, as shown in Fig. 4, or the cushioning block may be omitted, as shown in 5. If the chair is to be. secured to, the top of a steel cross tie 6, a wooden cushioning block 7 may be placed beneath it as shown in Fig. 6 or the block 7 may be placed in the chair as shown in Fig. 9. \Vhen the ties have been placed in position on the roadhed and the chairs have been put in position the rails 8 are dropped into the chairs. After the rails have been thus placedweclges 9, preferably made of waterproofed wood, are driven into the chairs each side of the rail. These wedges are driven in, first one side and then the other so as to a-line the. rail, and then they are driven in as hard as possible. The wedges inserted in this manner hold the rail in line, prevent it from tipping over, strengthen the web and aid in supporting the ball of the rail. After the wedges have been set, pegs 10 are driven into grooves 11 in the walls of the chair. These pegs force themselves int-o the edges of the wooden Wedges and hold them from slipping out.

Where the chair is used at a joint be tween the ends of two rails the wedges are made. a little smaller than the others and are driven in outside of the fish plate s12. The wedges thenbrace the fish platcs at the joint and eliminate the necessity for the holes that are usually put in the rails shown in Fig. 1, so that the ends of the plates are adjacent to the larger ends of the wedges. These plates then prevent the Wedges from coming out and prevent any possibility of the creeping of the rails through the chairs, for if the rails tend to creep one way, the plates force the wedges at one end inward so that the rails cannot move any farther without pushing the tie with it. If the tendency to creep is in the other direction, the same happens at that end, that is, the plates butt against the wedges, drive them in tighter and the rails cannot move any farther withoutforcing the tie sidewise in the ground. If the chairs are to be placed upon the upper surface of a tie, either wood or metal, they are provided with lugs 13 having holes'tor the passage of spikes or bolts. In this case the base of the chair between the flanges may beomitted so the rail will rest directly upon the tie between, the sides of the chair.

The chair described is very simple and cheap in construction and it is very easy to place it in position, either sunk in or set on top of a tree. The rail is quickly dropped between the walls of the chair and the Wedges easily driven in in suchmanner that the base flanges are held down, the web is strengthened and the ball of the rail is supported. By driving the wedges more on one side than the other, the rail can be instantly alined and gaged, from which posi- -tion it cannot move after the wedges are I driven home.

Rails held in this manner, particularly it the chairs are set into the ties, cannot possibly spread, tip over or break where they are held. When the chairs are set in, the use of spikes is eliminated.

-This chair for these reasons is particuot the chair and to the sides of ammo"? larly adapted for concrete ties. The wedges will not accidentally Work loose'when pegged in as described, and yet if necessary to re move the wedges for purpose of repairs, they can be easily driven out. While a rail is held tightly by the wedges, it is cushioned by the wood which makes the structure solid and yet noiseless.

The'invention'cla'imed is: 1. The combination of a -tie having transverse .taperin and dovetail opening, a metallic rail-chair fitting said opening in the tie and having a space that is narrower at one end than the other and narrower at the top than at the bottom, and wooden wedges adapted to be driven into said space,

said wedges being shaped "to fit the side 2. The combination .of a tie formed of I concrete withv atransverse dovetail tapering opening, a metallic chair fitting said opening, said chair having its side walls inclining toward each other from one end to the other and inclining toward each pther from the bottom to the top, and wooden wedges adapted to be driven into said i'ehair, said wedges conforming to the side Walls the rail to be held thereby. 3. The combination of cross ties having transverse dovetail tapering openings, rai1- chairs with a base and oblique and inclined walls fitting said openings, rails supported by said chairs, wedges driven into the chairs in opposite directions, and plates fastened to theiside of the rails and extending adjacent to the larger ends of the Wedges.

4. The combination of a rail-chair having a tapering dovetail opening, a rail supported in said chair, and wedges driven into said opening between the chair walls and the sides of the rail.

WARREN M. osnonn.

Witnesses:

JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER, Haney R. WILLIAMS. 

